Today, pressurized flow systems are common throughout most industries. Most of such systems have mechanisms which regulate flows at specified parameters. Many systems have threshold high and low pressures or differential pressures which define ranges between which the flow should be maintained for safety and optimal purposes.
At times, such systems experience too high or too low pressures or differential pressures which may be caused by a number of events. For example, the system may be partially obstructed by particle buildup within a flow line thereof, a mechanism malfunction may have partially shut a valve causing high pressure buildup, a filter may need changing, etc. In such situations, trouble shooting procedures are typically performed in order to determine the cause of the pressure buildup or loss.
In many systems, a problem regarding excessively high or low pressure or differential pressures may not be discovered for a substantial amount of time after it has occurred. Especially in systems having flows that are not continuous, a system's operator may not identify a flow problem until flow is passed through the system substantially thereafter. In many cases, systems have flows for a substantially short period. For example, some compressors are designed to maintain pressure in building systems between a particular range, e.g., 90-120 psig. When pressure drops below 90 psig, the compressor is typically automatically activated to pressurize the building systems back up to operating pressure. The cumulative time this takes may only be 1 or 2 hours per day. Thus, pressure or flow problems more than likely may only be discovered during those times. In many situations where such flow problems occur, the problem requires minor repair or maintenance, such as simply changing a filter.
However, in many systems, troubleshooting takes a substantial amount of time. For example, troubleshooting procedures may take from several hours to several days to determine the cause of a pressure or flow problem, whether minor or major. Troubleshooting typically involves inspecting each and every flow mechanism, e.g., valves, pipes, gauges, regulators, etc., which may have caused the particular flow problem. Troubleshooting procedures may begin upstream and work downstream. If there was a simple way to determine in advance or during the troubleshooting procedures where the flow problem has occurred, much time and money could be saved.
Thus, what is needed is a simple way to determine in advance or during troubleshooting procedures where a flow problem has occurred.
What is also needed is a simple way to save time in determining where a flow problem has occurred.